Bill Hockin

Meet Bill…

Company: William C Hockin Transport

Location: Devon

How did you get into the industry and what brought you here?

I started driving a small truck at 17 years old. I passed my Class 2 and then Class 1 driving licence at 21 years old. I then drove for a transport company until I was 25.

At 25 I was made redundant so decided to purchase my first lorry and hired two trailers to enable me to set up my own company. Through commitment and a lot of hard work, my company grew from strength to strength.

How long have you worked in the sector?

55 years.

What makes the logistics industry such a great place to work?

Firstly, it is not work it is a way of life. To succeed in the logistics industry, you must be prepared for a lot of hard work with plenty of success and failures along the way. You must live it, not work it and that is what makes it such a great place to work.

What can we do to encourage young people to work in logistics?

We must make the industry more attractive to younger people.

What does National Lorry Week mean to you?

National Lorry Week does raise the profile of the industry and the work that the lorry driver does
although I’m still not convinced that customers appreciate us as much as they should.

Why people should get involved?

To help raise the profile of the industry and encourage younger people to choose the transport industry for a career which must be a good thing during a period of doubt and uncertainty.

What does the future hold for our industry with innovation and new technology?

Firstly, I am not a friend of new technology such as IT as I’m from an era of roping, sheeting and a road atlas! However, I’m not against new innovaton and can see lots of changes with the advancement of technology which will I have no doubt make the transport industry more efficient, cleaner and will benefit the world as a whole – especially for the environment.

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The logistics sector is the fifth largest in the UK and employs more than 2.5 million people including logistics coordinators, data analysts, IT specialists, designers, warehouse staff, administrators, accountants, managers, technicians, planners, drivers and more.

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